Sheet jogging device

ABSTRACT

A foam rubber belt is mounted adjacent the plurality of shelves of a collator bin. Sheets of paper fed into the shelves contact the belt and are deflected backward against a restraining member or backstop. The belt is pivotally mounted at both ends by double pivot joints to enhance belt vibrations caused by the impact of the moving sheets with the belt. The vibrating belt thus performs the sheet-jogging function by urging the sheets against the backstops.

United States Patent 470,898 3/ l 892 Reifiel Donald L. Snellman Seattle, Wash. 801,624

Feb. 24, 1969 Aug. 10, 1971 Norfin, Inc. Seattle, Wash.

Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee susm .IOGGING DEVICE 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl

Field of Search .L

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Til/89,61, 86, 88

2,274,713 3/1942 Kushera 271/89 2,387,863 10 1945 Turner 1 271/89 2,733,064 1/1956 Martin 271 89 3,032,340 5/1962 Lawrence 27l/89X 3,388,907 6/1968 Snellmanetal. .4 271/89 FOREIGN PATENTS 237,621 1 1962 Australia 27l/86 Primary Examiner.loseph Wegbreit AuorneySeed, Berry & Dowrey ABSTRACT: A foam rubber belt is mounted adjacent the plurality of shelves of a collator bin. Sheets of paper fed into the shelves contact the belt and are deflected backward against a restraining member or backstop. The belt is pivotally mounted at both ends by double pivot joints to enhance belt vibrations caused by the impact of the moving sheets with the belt. The vibrating belt thus performs the sheet-jogging function by urging the sheets against the backstops.

PATENTEU AUG] 0:971

DONALD L. SNELLMAN INVENTUR.

. w BY Q 541 rflg ATTORNEYS SHEET JOGGING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to sheet-sorting apparatus commonly known as collators. Specifically, the present invention relates to means for aligning the edges of paper sheets which are fed into the shelves of a collator bin to form stacks. A commonly used term for this function is sheet i ss s" A collator directs sheets of paper or other material in some ordered manner into the various shelves of a collator bin. The moving sheets come to rest by virtue of sliding friction or by transferring their energy to an obstruction such as a wall. However, as'a stack is built up on a shelf, the individual sheets lay randomly misaligned atop one another. The common practice has been to utilize jogging bars on either side of the stacks to repeatedly tap or jog" the sides of the stack to align the side edges. The end edges of the sheets are also commonly aligned by using jogging bars and in some cases the moving sheets fed into the shelves are allowed to collide with the bar to stop the sheets and to efiect a rough alignment. In these cases the bar often damages the edges of the sheets especially if the velocities of the sheets are high. In all the above situations the jogging operation is performed after the sheet-feeding operation is over and before the removal of the sheets from the shelves. Of course, it is necessary to dismantle the end-edge-jogging bars before the sheets can be removed from the bin because they block access to the shelves.

The sheet-jogging apparatus of the present invention aligns the end edges of sheets as they are being fed into the shelves of a collator bin. The term end edge" refers to an edge generally normal to the direction of motion of the sheet. It utilizes a flexible foam rubber belt positioned at the far end of the shelves to convert the energy of the moving sheets striking the belt into oscillator motions thereby enabling the jogging operation to occur simultaneously with the feeding of sheets. The jogging belt absorbs the energy of the moving sheets without damaging the sheets and is deflected outwardly. The sheets are pushed backward against a restraining member or backstop on the infeed end of the shelves as the deflected belt completes the first cycle of its oscillation. The belt oscillations or vibrations are sustained by the repeated impact of moving sheets with the belt. The vibrating belt repeatedly taps or jogs the sheets on all the shelves forcing the sheets into end edge alignment against the backstop on the front end of the shelves. The amplitude and duration of the belt oscillations are increased and prolonged by providing double pivotal mountings for the belt at its ends. The double pivotal mountings permit the ends of the belt to move thereby preventing excessive damping of the oscillations. In addition, because the ends of the belt are free to move, a substantial oscillation amplitude is developed along the entire length of the belt so that the sheets on all the shelves receive ample jogging.

Furthermore. the jogging belt is suspended from the collator bin in a manner that allows the belt to be readily disengaged from the collator bin for gaining access to the shelves. The relative lightweight of the belt and its flexibility enhance its removal so the stacks of sheets formed on the shelves can be pulled. The simplicity of the present jogging apparatus is also beneficial because it reduces the structural complexity required of the collator bin, thereby making the present apparatus highly economical in addition to highly efficient.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve collator bin construction. Specifically it is an object of the invention to design jogging apparatus for a collator bin which aligns the end edges of moving sheets piled atop one another to form a stack. It is also an object of the invention to employ a resilient flexible belt for absorbing the energy of a moving sheet, for deflecting the sheet backward against a retaining wall or backstop and for vibrating in response to the impact of a sheet to tap or jog sheets on a plurality of shelves into end edge alignment. It is also an object of the present invention to utilize the energy of moving sheets for establishing a series of tapping motions for a sheet-jogging operation. Another object is to jog sheets on a plurality of shelves during the feeding of the sheets onto the shelves.

Another object of the invention is to mount the aforementioned jogging belt such that the amplitude of the belt vibrations throughout the length of the belt is emphasized.i.This latter objective is accomplished by employing a double'pivotal mounting of the belt at its ends.

Another object of the present invention is to utilize a resilient material in an end-edge-jogging apparatus to prevent damage to the moving sheets fed into the collator bin.

Yet another object of the present invention is to devise I means for increasing and decreasing the tension in the jogging belt and for adjusting its location relative to the shelves for accommodating different sheet size. An even further object is to construct means for supporting the jogging belt that permits it to be readily detached from the collator bin to facilitate removal of sheets from the plurality of shelves.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS pivotal mountings for the jogging belt also showing the lip located at the infeed end of a collator bin shelf;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the jogging belt and mountings taken along lines 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the jogging belt'taken along lines 4-4 in FIG. 3. A

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The collator bin or receiver I shown in FIG. I has two columns 2 and 3 of vertically spaced shelves 5. Since each column of shelves and its associated jogging belt are identical, only one column and its belt will be discussed in detail. The shelves have V-shaped notches or cutouts 4 which allow an operator to grasp the top and bottom sheet in a stack when removing the sheets from the shelves. The jogging belt 8 is positioned within the notches stretching from the top to the bottom of the collator bin between a rail 10 and a runner II. The position of the jogging belt relative to the shelves is adjustable along the length of the rail and runner to accommodate sheets of different lengths. The sheets are fed into the shelves from the front side 9 of the bin with the moving sheets contacting the jogging belt and rebounding backward coming to rest against backstop 7 on the front lip of the shelf. The backstop is a plate formed at the infced end of each shelf and has a height selected to accommodate the thickest stack expected to be formed on the shelves. The backstop is disposed inwardly toward the stack at an angle of approximately with the plane of the shelf in order to direct the edges of the sheets deflected off the belt downward onto the shelf to prevent them from hurdling the backstop and blocking the infeed path to the shelves.

The location of the jogging belt along the rail and runner is adjustable as mentioned above so that different lengths sheets can be collected on the shelves. Specifically, the jogging belt is adjusted along the runner and rail so that it is spaced a small distance from the edges of a particular-size sheet when the belt is relaxed or stationary (not vibrating). The spacing is made while the front end edges of the sheets are abutting the backstops. The spacing of the relaxed belt from the sheets should not exceed the distance ofthe maximum inward deflce tion of the belt from its relaxed position so that the belt will repeatedly tap or jog the edges of the sheets on the plurality of shelves. The spacing prevents the belt vibrations from being unduly damped as in the case when the relaxed belt is allowed to abut the edges of the sheets and provides a means for controlling the force with which the sheets are urged against the backstop 7. Excellent jogging operation has been obtained for a wide range of sheet sizes by setting the relaxed belt approximately one-eighth inch from the edges of the sheets. The spacing allows the belt to travel a portion of the distance constituting the amplitude of its oscillation before striking the edges of the sheets thereby preventing undue suppression of the belt oscillations. As mentioned earlier, the double pivotal mounting of the belt also helps to sustain the belt vibrations.

The jogging belt 8 is mounted by double pivot joints at the top and bottom of the collator bin to maximize the amplitude of the belt oscillations throughout the length of the belt. The double pivotal mounting at the ends of the belt enables substantial belt deflections to occur at one end of the belt even when the belt is struck by a sheet near the other end. If a single pivot or rigid joint were used, the ends of the belt would not be free to move or deflect and the amplitude of belt deflections along the length of the belt would be dampened. Consequently, the double pivotal mounting of the belt helps to increase the amplitude of the belt oscillation and prolongs the life of the oscillations.

The presently preferred material for the jogging belt is open-cell neoprene foam rubber with the cells on the face of the belt contacting the sheets closed to minimize wear. It is understood, however, that other materials whether natural or synthetic may also be employed. The belt material selected should preferably be resilient, flexible and elastic. The resiliency of the belt enables the belt material to deform thereby absorbing the energy of a moving sheet without damaging the edge contacting the belt and also helps to bring the sheets to a halt. The flexibility of the belt enables it to oscillate freely and the elasticity is advantageous for increasing and decreasing the tension in the belt, for absorbing energy, for restoring its shape after impact by a sheet and for establishing the vibrations or oscillations of the belt.

The mass or thickness of the belt is also a factor to be considered in determining the ability of the belt for absorbing the energy of the moving sheets. However, the mass as well as the tension of the belt are factors that are empirically determined according to the mass and velocity of the sheets being fed into the shelves. The practice is to select a belt thickness and to adjust the tension to accommodate the range of sheet sizes and sheet velocities associated with a particular collating operation.

The normal operation cycle of a collator is to feed a single sheet to each shelve of a collator bin starting at the top and proceeding downward and then restarting again at the top. The sheets are fed into a shelf over the backstop 7 and strike the jogging belt 8. The jogging belt deforms at the point of impact and is deflected outward. Thereafter the outwardly deflected portion of the belt deflects inward, pushing the sheet against the backstop 7 where the 85 angle of the backstop mentioned earlier directs the sheet downward against the plane of the shelf. The deflection of the belt sets up a wave which travels to both ends of the belt causing it to vibrate or oscillate along its length. The belt vibrations cause the belt to repeatedly strike the edges of the sheets on all the shelves thereby aligning their edges by urging the sheets against the hackstops. The vibrations of the belt are sustained by the repeated impact ofshccts being fed into the shelves.

FIGS. 2---4 illustrate the double pivotal mounting of the jogging belt. The brackets l5 and In support the belt with bracket being glued to the belt by an appropriate adhesive and bracket l6 being affixed to the belt by a tape-locking mechanism [4 commercially available under the name "Vel- 'cro" a product of the Velcro Corporation of New York, New

York. The locking mechanism enables bracket l6 to be moved on the belt to increase and decrease the tension of the belt. The locking mechanism is located near the bottom of the belt on bracket 16 rather than on bracket 15 so that it does not have to bear the weight of the belt.

Each bracket I5 and 16 has sockets l7 and ,l7a in which the linking arms 18 and 19 are pivotally couple? at one end to form the first pivot joint of the double pivotal mountings. The

second pivot joints are provided by the points at which the other ends of the.linkingarms are pivotally coupled to the top and bottom support members.

The top support member includes the U-shaped plate 23 having notches 24 with which the linking arm 18 is pivotally engaged. The linking arm 18 is readily lifted out of the notches 24and the linking arm, bracket 15 and belt 8 removed from the rail 10 to provide access to the shelves for removing the stacks of sheets. A peg 22 is provided on the side of the bin 1 on which the belt can be conveniently hung by means of linking arm 18 while sheets are being removed.

The U-shaped plate 23 is bolted to the vertical leg 25 of slide member 26 which is C-shaped in cross section and slidably mounted on the bottom flange 27 of l-beam rail l0. Trigger member 20 is mountedon slide member 26 by the post 31 and is biased by the'coil spring 32. Trigger 20 is a plate bent to an angle less than such that when leg 33 of the trigger is pulled toward leg 25 of the slide, the horizontal leg 34 of the trigger pulls pin 35 out of locking engagement with a hole 36 in the bottom flange of the rail. A plurality of holes 36 are located along the rail 10 to locate the jogging belt 8 at various positions relative to the shelves to accommodatc'different sheet lengths. Bolt 37 is a stop for preventing the slide member from being pulled off rail 10.

Linking arm 18 is a C-shaped rod, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and has the portion 39 pivotally hung within the notches 24 of support plate 23 to provide one of the double pivot joints. The ends 40 of arm 18 fit through the holes or sockets 17 in the bracket l5 to provide the second pivot joint. A portion of the belt is cut away to accommodate the ends 40. Linking arm 18 is therefore pivotally coupled at one end to support plate 23 and at another end to bracket l5 thereby constituting a double pivotal mounting for the belt at its upper end.

The lower support means for the jogging belt ll includes the U-shaped plate or runner ll having notches 43 therein. immediately below the U-shaped member II is a compressible foam material pad 44 and angled member 45. Pad 44 is positioned close to runner ll so as to abut arm 19 thereby locking the linking arm in one ofthe notches 43 (see FIG. 3) yet being compressible so as to allow the belt to be moved to another slot 43.

Linking arm 19 includes two U-shaped rods 46 and 47 which pivotally engage sockets 17a in lower bracket 16 and pivotally engage notch 43 in runner 11. The U-shaped rod 48 is welded to both the rods 46 and 47 so as to be integral therewith. The rod 48 also serves as a handle for holding the linking arm when the arm is moved between different notches 43. The double pivotal mounting at the lower end of the jogging belt is therefore provided by the ends or rods 46 and 47 which pivotally engage bracket 16 atone end and pivotally engage runner II at their other end.

The double pivotal mounting of the jogging belt enables the brackets 15 and 16 to move relative to the upper and lower supports to which the belt is coupled. Consequently, vibrations can be established at the very ends of the belt and the vibrations along the rest of the belt length are capable of greater amplitude and longer duration. 'lhcse excellent vibration characteristics of the jogging belt provide a highly efficicnt jogging mechanism which performs the jogging operation simultaneously with the feeding of sheets into the collator bin and does so by utilizing the kinetic energy of the moving sheets to vibrate the belt.

It is believed that the invention will have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description of my nowpreferrcd illustrated embodiment. Changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is accordingly my intention that no limitations be implied and that the invention be given the broadest interpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

The embodiments of the invention in which I claim an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:

l. Jogging apparatus for aligning the edges of light, flexible sheets fed onto a plurality of shelves to form stacks thereon comprising; a backstop member adjacent the infeed end of each shelf, a resilient flexible jogging belt, means mounting said belt for free oscillation adjacent said shelves in the path of moving sheets fed thereto for deflecting the moving sheets against the backstop member and for oscillating in response to the impact of the moving sheets whereby oscillation of the belt repetitively contacts sheets located on each of the plurality of shelves and urges said sheets into edge alignment against said backstop members.

2. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said backstop member extends upward from the plane of a shelf at an angle less than 90 to direct sheets deflected by said belt downward onto the shelf.

. 3. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 further including means at least at the top end of the jogging belt enabling the belt to be readily removed from its position adjacent the shelves to facilitate the removal of sheets from the shelves.

4. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 further including means for adjusting the tension of said jogging belt and means for adjusting the position of said belt relative to the shelves for accommodating sheets of different lengths.

. 5. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes double pivotal mounting means having linking means for pivotally coupling to the ends of the belt and pivotally coupling to stationary support means.

6. In combination with a collator bin having a plurality of shelves ontowhich sheets are fed to form stacks, a sheetjogging apparatus comprising a backstop member adjacent the infeed end of each shelf, top and bottom linking members pivotally coupled at first ends to the top and bottom of the collator bin, and a jogging belt pivotallycoupled at its ends to second ends of said top and bottom linking members providing a double pivotal mounting for said belt, said belt positioned adjacent said shelves in the path of moving sheets fed onto the shelves for absorbing the kinetic energy of the moving sheets without damaging the edges of the sheets and for deflecting the moving sheets against said backstop member with said belt vibrating in response to the impact of the moving sheets thereby continuously urging the sheets on the plurality of shelves into end edge alignment against said backstop members. 

1. Jogging apparatus for aligning the edges of light, flexible sheets fed onto a plurality of shelves to form stacks thereon comprising; a backstop member adjacent the infeed end of each shelf, a resilient flexible jogging belt, means mounting said belt for free oscillation adjacent said shelves in the path of moving sheets fed thereto for deflecting the moving sheets against the backstop member and for oscillating in response to the impact of the moving sheets whereby oscillation of the belt repetitively contacts sheets located on each of the plurality of shelves and urges said sheets into edge alignment against said backstop members.
 2. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said backstop member extends upward from the plane of a shelf at an angle less than 90* to direct sheets deflected by said belt downward onto the shelf.
 3. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 further including means at least at the top end of the jogging belt enabling the belt to be readily removed from its position adjacent the shelves to facilitate the removal of sheets from the shelves.
 4. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 further including means for adjusting the tension of said jogging belt and means for adjusting the position of said belt relative to the shelves for accommodating sheets of different lengths.
 5. The jogging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes double pivotal mounting means having linking means for pivotally coupling to the ends of the belt and pivotally coupling to stationary support means.
 6. In combination with a collator bin having a plurality of shelves onto which sheets are fed to form stacks, a sheet-jogging apparatus comprising a backstop member adjacent the infeed end of each shelf, top and bottom linking members pivotally coupled at first ends to the top and bottom of the collator bin, and a jogging belt pivotally coupled at its ends to second ends of said top and bottom linking members providing a double pivotal mounting for said belt, said belt poSitioned adjacent said shelves in the path of moving sheets fed onto the shelves for absorbing the kinetic energy of the moving sheets without damaging the edges of the sheets and for deflecting the moving sheets against said backstop member with said belt vibrating in response to the impact of the moving sheets thereby continuously urging the sheets on the plurality of shelves into end edge alignment against said backstop members. 